Acquired periungual fibrokeratoma with accessory germinal matrix

Five cases of acquired periungual fibrokeratoma involving the proximal nail fold were treated surgically. Clinically, all five patients regained normal nail contours postoperatively, but one patient developed a local recurrence 1 year after operation. Histologically, an accessory germinal matrix was observed at the distal end of the lesion in all five cases. Change in pressure around the lesion seemed to have induced the formation of this accessory germinal matrix.     

Warts of the Nail Unit: Surgical and Nonsurgical Approaches

BACKGROUND: Warts are the most common nail tumor and mostly affect children and young adults. Periungual warts are usually due to HPV-1, 2, and 4. Development of periungual warts is favored by maceration and trauma, especially nail biting. OBJECTIVE: To discuss the biology, clinical features, and medical and surgical treatment of periungual warts. METHODS: Review of the literature and personal experience. RESULTS: The natural course of warts makes aggressive approaches restricted to selected cases. Medical treatments, usually topical, include keratolytic agents, virucidal agents, and immunomodulators. All choices have been utilized successfully, but keratolytic agents are the best first-line approach. Surgical treatments include cryotherapy, surgical excision, electrosurgery, infrared coagulation, localized heating with a radio-frequency heat generator and laser therapy, especially the Er:YAG laser, which has an excellent safety profile. CONCLUSIONS: Definitive cure is not guaranteed by any therapy and periungual warts can recur and become larger after correct treatment.     

A modified periungual approach for treatment of subungual glomus tumour.

Subungal glomus tumours are uncommon; the only treatment is complete surgical excision. Transungual approach is often preferred; however, secondary nail deformity may occur. Lateral periungual approach is used to avoid this complication, but this approach provides limited exposure and is used for peripheral lesion only. We describe a modified periungual approach which can be applied to central lesions. This approach can provide adequate exposure for complete excision of the subungual tumour while avoiding incision of the nail bed.     

Nail bed reconstruction with split-thickness nail bed grafts.

The results of reconstruction of chronic post-traumatic nail deformities are thought to be unpredictable. We have reviewed eight patients treated by split-thickness nail bed grafts for deformities arising from defects in the sterile matrix. Appearance, adherence and function were improved in all cases, with no significant morbidity of the donor area.     

Surgical intervention for congenital nail fold hypertrophy

Congenital nail fold hypertrophy of the hallux is an uncommon abnormality affecting the periungual soft tissue of the great toe. It is usually identified at birth or shortly thereafter, and is known to spontaneously resolve in most cases. In this report, we describe the case of a 14-month-old boy presenting with nail fold hypertrophy of both great toes. The completely united skin bridge covering the nail on the right was excised and the nail folds recreated, with debulking of the left hypertrophic nail fold. We propose that management should be conservative in the first instance and that surgery should be reserved for cases in which 1) inflammation is unresponsive to conservative measures, 2) there is a dense condensation of tissue crossing the nail surface, or 3) there is significant hypertrophy persisting past 1 year of age with no signs of resolution.     

手指指甲缺损的单全趾甲复合组织移植再造术

目的对手指指甲缺损或畸形进行重建，再造理想的指甲。方法以携带最小量组织进行切取包括趾甲、甲下皮、甲周膜在内的复合组织及其营养动脉、静脉和神经，与受区进行趾-指动脉、静脉、神经的吻合，完成单一全趾甲复合组织移植再造指甲。结果再造9例13指，术后均顺利成活，外形满意，接近原手指指甲的效果，供区的外观和功能无明显影响。结论应用显微外科技术，可使手指甲再造等手外科手术做的更精细，治疗效果更理想。     

应用第二套供血系统的全指甲再造术

目的探讨对手指指甲缺损或畸形进行精细重建的技术。方法对2003年12月-2004年6月在我院应用显微外科技术治疗的9例指甲（13指）缺损患者进行回顾性分析。所有患者均利用第二套供血系统以携带最小量组织进行切取包括趾甲、甲床、甲下皮、甲周膜在内的复合组织及其营养动脉、静脉和神经，与受区进行趾-指动脉、静脉、神经的吻合，完成单一全趾甲复合组织移植再造指甲。结果所有再造指甲均顺利成活，外形十分满意，接近原手指指甲的效果，供区的外观和功能无明显影响。结论应用第二套供血系统的全指甲单位再造术，可获得理想的治疗效果。     

Reconstruction of a functional and esthetic nail

The most common cause of nail bed deformity is trauma, but other causes are infection, tumor, ischemia, or congenital anomalies. This article includes discussions of nonadherence, split nail, reconstruction of the eponychium, crooked and hooked nail, bony irregularity, pachyonychia, ischemic deformities, and absence of the nail. New problems are encountered daily and other deformities have no method of correction recorded in the literature. For these cases, we provide suggested treatments based on the anatomy and physiology of the nail.     

Die Nageltascheninfektionen der Finger �C Behandlung der Paronychien

Objective

The procedure is selected based on the stage of infection with careful removal of the focal infection in the area of the nail fold.

Indications

All infections of the periungual area.

Contraindications

Herpes infections [1, 12]. All purulent infections of the periungual area should be eliminated.

Surgical technique

Opening of the abscess, excision of the eponychium, mobilization of the nail barrier away from the nail plate, inzision of the nail barrier at a defined place, necrosectomy, irrigation, and drainage.

Postoperative management

Moist dressings and fingerbaths in the first few days.

Results

In most cases, the infection heals completely without substantial scar formation.     

Nail size and appearance following nail fusion plasty of thumb duplication✰

Purpose

To evaluate nail appearance after nail fusion plasty to treat thumb duplication.

The repair of nail deformities with the nonvascularized nail bed graft: indications and results

Twenty-four cases of nonvascularized nail bed grafting to correct nail deformities were reviewed. The highest success rate in improving the appearance of the deformed nail, 86%, was achieved when the split-thickness nail bed graft of sterile matrix was used to correct a nail deformity caused by a sterile matrix injury; the same procedure used to correct a nail deformity caused by a germinal matrix injury had a 0% success rate. Donor site morbidity occurred in 25% of split-thickness nail bed grafts and 100% of full-thickness nail bed grafts. The split-thickness nail bed graft of sterile matrix, if used in properly selected patients, will consistently improve the appearance of the deformed nail.     

Nail grafts for reconstruction

Monkey digits were used experimentally to demonstrate the pathologic anatomy of nail deformities and the results of treatment using full and partial thickness nail matrix grafts. Seventy-five human nail deformities were evaluated and treated. In both the experimental and clinical groups, microscopic hypertrophy of the superficial epithelial elements underlying the deformed nail existed. A follow-up of treatment of nail deformities indicated that nail matrix grafts, both full and partial thickness, are beneficial when the defect involves the sterile matrix and the proximal nail fold.     

Symptomatic Periungual Fibroma of the Hand

Periungual fibromas are benign nodules commonly found on acral digital areas that are commonly associated with tuberous sclerosis. They vary in size and are challenging to treat, with a high recurrence rate. We present a case of a patient with a periungual fibroma, which by virtue of its size, was of functional concern. The intraoperative findings and their implications on the clinical outcome, together with a literature review on other treatment modalities, are also presented.     

Trimmed second toetip transfer for reconstruction of claw nail deformity of the fingers.

Claw nail deformities of the fingers have been repaired by many methods, but the results have been cosmetically unsatisfactory because of loss of the distal phalangeal bone and the short nail bed. We have employed a trimmed second toetip including the distal phalangeal bone and excluding the germinal matrix as a vascularised composite flap for two patients with claw nail deformity of the fingers. The advantages of this method are that the repaired nail regrows to normal size and has bilateral nail folds. We believe that, in comparison with other conventional local or island flaps, this composite flap is functionally and cosmetically ideal for the repair of claw nail deformities.     

Treatment of severe deformities of the toenails by the modified Zadik method with artificial skin.

A number of operations have been devised to treat ingrowing toenails and pincer nails, and they have given good aesthetic and functional results. However, there have been few reports of operations for the treatment of severe nail deformities caused by damage to the matrix of the nail by injury, or by inappropriate removal of the nail or intractable onychomycosis or cardiovascular or neurological disorders. In 1950, Zadik reported a radical technique for ingrown nails and pincer nails: after avulsion of the nail, the matrix was excised completely and the posterior nail wall was sutured to the nail bed as an advancement flap. We have treated 23 severe deformities other than ingrown nails and pincer nails in 14 patients by the modified Zadik method with artificial skin. As a result, symptoms including pain were alleviated in all patients. The nail plate did not regenerate, and no patient had aesthetic complaints.     

Management of fingernail deformities after thermal injury

Fingernail deformities after thermal injury can be very disfiguring and troublesome. The fingernails may be discoloured, cleft or vertically deviated. From the pathophysiology of the nail growth in general, the specific features of the nail deformities after deep burn can be deduced, as can guidelines for the treatment. Over a two-year period, 153 patients with burned hands were treated in the Groningen Burn Centre. Seven of these patients developed abnormal quality and growth pattern of the fingernails. In two patients an effort was made to correct the deformity by incising the dorsal skin at the base of the nail fold, reflecting the nail fold and covering the acquired defect with a full thickness skin graft. Although the patients were satisfied with the results achieved, one year after the operation little or no improvement in the nail growth was found. A cautious policy should be followed in correcting these deformities, since dislocation of the eponychium together with damage to the nail matrix and the nail bed play a complex role in the process of deformation.     

Perionychial grafts in trauma and reconstruction

With careful attention to anatomic repair and by replacing missing tissue with similar tissue, corrections in emergency situations can be accomplished with predictably good results. Even in the most complex of injuries, normal nails are the expectation rather than the surprise endpoint of surgical repair. Improved results in the treatment of chronic nail deformities encourage a bolder surgical stance when patients present with nail deformities. Although more work needs to be done in the field of total nail replacement, a well-performed full-thickness composite graft in carefully selected and prepared patients may be an appropriate solution to a problem that has been ignored too often.     

Gouty Tophi: A Squamous Cell Carcinoma Mimicker?

BACKGROUND: Digital lesions can have a broad differential diagnosis. Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the most common digital malignant neoplasm, must be excluded as the cause of persistent digital lesions causing nail dystrophy. OBJECTIVE: To describe a patient with a periungual hyperkeratotic lesion on the left fifth digit which, upon initial dermatopathologic examination, appeared to be a malignancy. However, on further biopsy, the lesion proved to be a gouty tophus. METHODS: Case report and literature review. RESULTS: An 84-year-old white man presented with a hyperkeratotic papule on the lateral proximal nail fold of the left fifth digit, which resulted in nail dystrophy for 1 year. Similar lesions were present on several other digits which did not affect the nail plate. Initial biopsy was consistent with actinic keratosis and was treated with cryotherapy. When the lesion persisted, repeat biopsy was performed, demonstrating fragments of squamous epithelium with focal atypia and an infiltrative growth pattern. SCC could not be excluded and the patient was referred for Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) consultation. An excisional biopsy was performed and a white chalky material was observed at the base of the defect. Histopathology confirmed a gouty tophus. The patient was referred to his primary care physician and was treated with allopurinol. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of gouty tophus of the periungual region presenting as a hyperkeratotic lesion. Initial clinical diagnosis favored SCC and histologic evidence suggested a possible early SCC. This lesion can be confused with digital squamous cell carcinoma. The presence of pseu- docarcinomatous hyperplasia may complicate accurate diagnosis.     

Correction of contracted nail deformity by distraction lengthening

Ten callus distraction-lengthening procedures were performed in 10 distal phalanges to correct contracted nail deformities. The average age of the patients was 28.8 (14 approximately 41) years. A 1-week resting period was allowed, followed by gradual lengthening at a rate of 0.125 mm/day. The average lengthening achieved was 9.8 mm (86.3%; 43% approximately 218%). The healing indices were 68.6 days/cm. Additional minor procedures for the paronychium, nail bed, and hyponichium were performed in 6 cases. All patients were satisfied with the reformed nail, which overcame the disfigurements resulting from a deficiency of the bone and soft tissue. Distraction lengthening along with the microvascular free toenail transfer is recommended for nail reconstructions due to its simultaneous gain of bone and soft tissue.     

Posttraumatic ectopic nail: case report

Ectopic nail, also known as onychoheterotopia or onychoheterotropia, is an extremely rare disorder. It is characterized by the growth of nail-like tissue in a different location other than the nail bed. Congenital and acquired deformities have been reported. We describe a case of posttraumatic ectopic nail and review the literature on this unusual condition.